Page 121 of Hate To Love You

Pat takes another step forward.

“First, you’ll sign over your shares and step down from your positions. We take full control of the companies. Second, you cooperate fully with any internal investigations we conduct. We want to see exactly what’s been going on behind closed doors. If you do this, we’ll handle things quietly.”

“You’re still in college. How will you run a company while going to class and dealing with Elite matters?” Mason’s father leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“We’ll make it work,” Holland tells him, his voice laced with conviction.

There’s a long silence as our fathers seem to consider their options, which at this point, are very limited.

Pat’s father looks up to us, his brows furrowed with anger. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

Pat tosses the folder we’d put together with all of the necessary legal documents for the old men to sign. We weren’t completely sure this would work, and honestly, knowing some of the shit they’re involved in, I wasn’t sure we’d make it out alive.

But we had our lawyers draw up all the paperwork just in case everything went according to plan.

As our fathers sign the documents relinquishing control, I feel a sense of relief. I don’t know how the four of us are going to make this work, but I know we’ll figure it out.

Now, I just need to find a way to tell my mother and Logan. Logan has just as much pull in the company as I do, but I’m not sure he’ll want to get involved. He’s never really been interested in the business.

When they’re finished signing the papers, Holland grabs the folders, and we start to head out. But before I make it to the door, I think of one more stipulation, this one being for my father only.

Turning around I face my father whose face is red and has his hands fisted on the glass table. A satisfied feeling runs through me, and I want to smile, but I hold it back.

“One more thing,” I drawl, staring directly at my father.

“What?” he snaps.

“Leave mom. She keeps the house and gets her freedom.”

My father barks out a laugh, and my fists clench at my sides.

“Who do you think you are?” he asks rhetorically.

“The one with all the power,” I sneer, and my father stares at me with so much hatred, it’s almost laughable.

“Fine.”

With that, I head for the door again where Mason, Pat, and Holland stand waiting for me.

“Son,” my father’s rough voice calls. I stop but I don’t look back at him. “You always were weak, controlled by your emotions. You will always be my greatest failure.”

Rage fills my body, and I don’t even have time to think before I’m jumping over the glass table and tackling my father to the ground.

I feel hands on my back and arms, attempting to pull me off, but they’re useless. My fist pounds into my father’s face repeatedly. All the years of pent-up rage and hatred for this man bubbles to the surface and I can’t control myself.

Blood pours out of his nose and mouth as he lay unconscious under me. I should probably stop, but the anger is controlling me at this point.

“Fuck. You,” I snarl before I’m lifted off of him by Pat and Holland.

“That’s enough. It’s over, let’s go,” Pat tries to calm me down, but the adrenaline in my veins is too much. My entire body is shaking, and I can feel my heart threatening to leap out of my chest. My ribs are sore because they still haven’t healed fully from rugby, and my head is throbbing.

I yank out of Holland and Pat’s grasp, angrily marching out of the conference room and out onto the cold streets of New York City.

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We sit in silence on our way back to the mansion, and I’m still livid as I sit in the passenger seat while Pat drives.

I should be thrilled that the fathers agreed to our terms and have signed everything to us, but instead, I’m angry at the words my father spoke to me.

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